Sewing machine cradles



Sept. 29, 1959 R. E. JOHNSON SEWING MACHINE CRADLES Filed Oct. 21, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Ralph E. Johnson WITNESS a/mw BY g m/ A romvsy Sept. 29, 1959 R. E. JOHNSON SEWING MACHINE CRADLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOYR I Ralph E. Johnson BY aw AT omvsy Filed Oct. 21. 1955 WITNESS wwwfiwm p 1959 R. E. JOHNSON 2,906,576

SEWING MACHINE CRADLES Filed Oct. 21. 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR Ralph E Johnson WITNESS RNE Y Sept. 1 59 R. E. JOHNSON I 2,906,576

SEWING MACHINHCRADLES 4 Shgets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 21. 1955 INVENTOR Ralph E. Johnson BY W AT ORNEY WITNESS United States Patent SEWING MACHINE CRADLES Ralph Johnson, Mountainside, NJ., assign'or to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 21, 1955, Serial No. 541,979

'11 Claims. (Cl. 312-30) This invention relates to cabinets for sewing machines and'more particularly relates to a movablecradle for supporting a sewing machine in a drop-head type cabinet.

the past various forms of movable cradles for. supporting sewing machines in drop-head cabinets have been used but previous devices have left much to be desired in the means. employed for securing and releasing the connection between the sewing machine and the cradle.- For example, United States Patent No. 571,748, dated November 24, 1896, discloses a drop-head type cabinet iny'vhich a sewing machine was held to a cradle by means of a pivotally mounted turn button. The type of construction previously used, and as exemplified in the above cited patent, has been found to be quite satisfactory as long as the sewing machine remained in the cabinet, but, when it became desirable to remove the machine, for example a portable sewing machine, from the cabinet, it usually has been necessary for. the operator to search for and to operate some form of latch before the sewing machine could be removed. This, in many cases, has proven to be undesirable and therefore the general object of the present invention is to provide an improved drophead type cabinet adapted to house a sewing machine, and from which the sewing machine can easily be removed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved sewing machine supporting cradle for drophead type cabinets.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved means for latching a sewing machine to the cradle of a drop-head cabinet.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of cradle from which a sewing machine may be easily removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine cradle combination of such design that mechanism accessible from the bottom of the sewing machine can be lubricated and adjusted without removing the machine from the cradle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cradle designed to support a portable sewing machine in a drophead cabinet in such a manner that, when the machine'is sustained in its normal operating position, it can be lifted out of the cradle without releasing latches or the like, and yet when the machine is tilted upwardly to an oiling position or when it is pivotally' lowered to an inoperative or stored position, the sewing machine will automatically be latched to the cradle.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter ap ear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby'will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section,

2,906,576 Patented Sept. 29, 1959 2. of a" sewing machine cabinet and cradle embodyingv the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cradle and a sewing machine cabinet shown in Fig; 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an elevational sectional view taken substantially on the line 4'-4 of Fig. 1, the cradle being shown in one position by solid lines and in two other positions by dotted lines,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, dotted lines showing progressive positions of the hook portion of the cradle as the cradle is lowered to the horizontal position,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view taken along the line 66 of Fig. 2, dotted lines showing the latched position of a slide carried by the cradle, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the cradle used for mounting the sewing machine in the cabinet, dotted lines showing the slide and associated parts moved to the unlatched position.

Referring more specifically to-the drawings, the invention is disclosed as embodied in a sewing machine cabinet 16 having a table-top 17, a front wall 18, a back wall 19, end walls 21 and 22 and a plurality of supporting legs (not shown). The table-top 17 is formedwith a substantially rectangular opening 23. 'A front flap 24 is hinged to the table-top 17 by hinges 26 located along the front side of the opening 23. The flap 24 may be swung upwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 to permit an improved L-shaped cradle or platform 27 and a sewing machine 28 carried thereby to be swung" downwardly into the stored position in the cabinet 16. In its normal horizontal position the flap 24 rests on a pair of metal plates, one of which is shown at 29, the plates 29 being secured to the under side of the tabletop 17, thus the top of the flap 24 is maintained flush with the upper surface of the table-top 17. The flap 24'has secured to its free edge a pair of opposite-hand substantially L-shaped metallic stops 31 (Figs. 2, and 5), only one of these stops being effective when the cabinet is fitted with the present cradle. The stop 31 has a horizontally disposed plate 32 screw held to the lower face of the flap 24, and a vertically disposed portion 33 screw held to the rear face of the flap 24. The vertical portion 33 is in the form of a clamp designed to hold a resilient bumper 34. The horizontal plate 82 has an arm 36 (Fig. 2) which protrudes beyond the rear portion of the flap 24, this arm 36 being provided with an aperture 37 and a releasing camming-edge 38 (Fig. 5) adapted to per form functions presently to be described.

The cradle 27, which is adapted to support the sewing machine 28, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 7, is in the form of a. platform which is substantially L-shaped in plan view, and includes a substantially Z-shaped bracket 45 which is made up of a horizontal web 46 provided on one side with an upstanding or vertical flange 47 and on the other side with 2. depending flange 48. Opposite ends of the horizontal web 46 have upstanding lugs 49 and 51 designed to be engaged by opposite ends of the rectangular base 50 0f the sewing machine 28. Two portions of the vertical flange 47 are cutaway as at 52-52 (Figs. 1 and 7) and portions of the flange 47 formed thereby are bent backwardly and upwardly to form two lugs 53- 53. Each of the lugs 5353 is provided with a hole 5 4 positioned coaxial with respect to a second hole 56 drilled in the vertical flange 47. The two pairs of aligned holes 54-56 receive conventional hinge pins 57-57 (Fig. 2) which form a part of conventional hinges 58-58 which are attached to the table-top 17.

A bracket-base 59 is at one end secured by meansof rivets 61-61 to and extends forwardly and horizontally portion of the 3 from one end of the lower surface of the horizontal web 46. This bracket base 59, throughout part of its length, is channel shaped and thereby has downwardly extending flanges 62 and 63 (Fig. 7), the flange 62 being discontinued between a notch 64 and the front edge 66 of the bracket-base 59. The portion of the bracket-base 59 extending from the notch 64 to and along the front edge 66 is downwardly ribbed as at 67. The rib 67 strengthens the bracket-base 59 and also performs a service presently to be described. A rivet 68 passes vertically through the center of the bracket-base 59, and the lower end of this rivet 68 pivotally mounts the central portion of a horizontally extending substantially T-shaped release-lever 69.

The T-shaped release-lever 69 has three arms 71, 72 and 73 and each of these arms extends beyond the boundaries of the bracket-base 59. The arm 71 extends at right angles to the arms 72 and 73, which are in line with one another, and the arms 71 and 72 engage and are guided by the lower surface of the rib 67. The arm 71 is provided with a hook 74 to which is connected one end of a helical tension biasing spring 76, the other end of the spring 76 being attached to the previously mentioned depending flange 48 by means of a hole 77 (Figs. 2 and 3) formed in the said flange 48. The arm 72 extends beyond the front edge 66 of the bracket-base 59 and is bent upwardly as at 78 to form an upstanding portion 79 having an inclined cam-surface 81 and a downwardly open hook 82, the cam-surface 81 being adapted to engage the previously mentioned camming-edge 38, and the hook 82 being adapted to enter the aperture 37 formed in the stop 31. The arm 73 extends rearwardly beyond the rear face of the upstanding flange 47 and the extreme end of the arm 73 enters an aperture 83 (Fig. 7) formed in a depending lug 84 of a locking-slide 86. The lug portion 84 of the locking-slide 86 depends below the bottom surface of the horizontal web 46, whereas the remaining portions of the locking-slide 86 abut the rear surface of the upstanding flange 47. The slide 86 is slidably supported with respect to the rear surface of the flange 47 by means of three rivets 87. The shanks of the rivets 87 pass through three parallel elongated holes 88 in the slide 86 and the heads of the rivets 87 maintain the slide 86 in proper position adjacent to the rear face of the flange 47. The locking-slide 86 is provided with a pair of horizontally extending latch-hooks 89-89 which engage keeper-portions 9191 on a pair of U-shaped securing brackets 92-92. Each of the brackets 92 has a hole 93 (Fig. l) by which each is connected by a screw 94 to the rear portion of the base 50 of the sewing machine 28. The upper portion of the upstanding flange 47 is provided with two notches 9797' (Fig. 7) and one of the U-shaped brackets 92 straddles the flange 47 at the location of each of the notches 9797.

In operation, the herein described mechanism functions in the following manner: When the cradle 27 is mounted in the cabinet 16 in the horizontal position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4, the camming-edge 38 on themetallic bracket 31 engages the top portion of the cam-surface 81 in the manner shown in solid lines in Fig. 5. This causes the portion 79 of the arm 72 to move to the dotted position shown in Fig. 7 and causes the hook 82 to enter the aperture 37 of the stop 31. Under these circumstances the lever 69 is turned counterclockwise, as seen in Fig. 7, about the rivet 68 until it assumes the dotted position shown in Fig. 7. At the same time the arm 71 of the lever 69 stretches the spring 76. Also the end of the arm 73, which is disposed in the aperture 83 of the slide 86 is moved in a direction away from the upstanding lug .51. This causes the slide 86 to move to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, which position disengages the latch-hooks 89-89, which are carried by the slide 86, from engagement with the keepers 9191 formed on the U-shaped brackets 92 attached to the base 50 of the sewing machine 28. Disengagement of the latch-hooks 89-89.from the keepers 9191, disconnects the sewing machine 28 from the cradle 27. Because of this the sewing machine 28 is automatically unlatched from the cradle 27 and thus can be raised vertically from or placed on the cradle 27 without manually operating a latch. It will, of course, be understood that the weight of the sewing machine 28 holds it in proper position in the cradle 27, when the cradle is in the horizontal position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4.

On the other hand, the instant after the cradle 27 and sewing machine 28 are pivoted upwardly as a unit about the hinges 58-58, the hook 82 automatically becomes disengaged from the aperture 37 in the plate 32 and the cam-surface 81 rides upwardly on the camming-edge 38 until the surface 81 no longer makes contact with the edge 38. As this happens, the spring 76 pivotally turns the T-shaped lever 69 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 7) thereby causing the end of the arm 73, which enters the aperture 83, to move the slide 86 to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 7. This causes the latch hooks 89--89 to engage the keeper-portions 91-91, thereby automatically securing the brackets 92-92 and thus the sewing machine base 50 to the cradle 27. When this has happened the sewing machine 28 and the cradle 27 can be swung to the raised or oiling position indicated in Fig. 4 by the numeral 28R or to the lowered or stored position indicated in Fig. 4 by the numeral 28L. Since the cradle 27 is L-shaped in plan view it does not completely cover the bottom of the sewing machine 28, thus the mechanism in the sewing machine base 50 can be adiusted and lubricated without removing the sewing machine 28 from the cradle 27. Those versed in the art will understand that the front flap 24 will have to be raised to the dotted position shown in Fig. 4 before the sewing machine 28 and cradle 27 are lowered to the stored position 28L. Thus, it will be understood that the sewing machine 28 will always be latched to the cradle 27 except when the cradle is horizontal and the hook 82 is engaging the aperture 37 in the stop 31. However, when the sewing machine 28 and cradle 27 are horizontal and the hook 82 engages the aperture 37, the sewing machine can be placed in and removed from the cradle 27, without the manual manipulation of any kind of latch or other mechanism.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

l. The combination with a sewing machine cabinet having a work-supporting surface, of a sewing machine supporting cradle movably mounted in said cabinet and having a normal position in which a sewing machine supported by said cradle is maintained in sewing position and in at least one retracted position in which said sewing machine is held in a location out of its sewing position, and sewing machine latching means associated with said cradle, sewing machine and cabinet and effective automatically to lock said sewing machine to said cradle when said cradle is in its retracted position and automatically to release said sewing machine when said cradle is in its normal position.

2. In combination a cabinet, a cradle pivotally mounted in said cabinet and arranged to assume a plurality of selected positions with respect to said cabinet, a sewing machine carried on said cradle, securing means for attaching said sewing machine to said cradle, and means carried by said cabinet for releasing said securing means when said cradle is in a selected position with respect to said cabinet.

3. In combination a cabinet, a cradle pivotally mounted in said cabinet, a sewing machine carried on said cradle, securing means for attaching said sewing machine to said cradle, means carried by said cradle for operating said securing means, and means carried by said cabinet for operating said means carried by said cradle.

4. In combination a cabinet, a cradle pivotally mounted in said cabinet and arranged to assume a plurality of selected positions with respect to said cabinet, a sewing machine carried on said cradle, a keeper secured to said sewing machine, a latch-hook carried by said cradle, a release-lever carried by said cradle and operatively connected to said latch-hook, means for biasing said latchhook and release-lever to a predetermined position, and means carried by said cabinet for operating said releaselever against the effect of said biasing means When said cradle is in a selected position in said cabinet.

5. In combination a cabinet, a cradle pivotally mounted in said cabinet and arranged to assume a plurality of selected positions with respect to said cabinet, a sewing machine carried on said cradle, a keeper secured to said sewing machine, a locking-slide slidably carried by said cradle, a latch-hook formed on said locking-slide, a release-lever carried by said cradle and operatively connected to said locking-slide, a spring biasing said releaselever and locking-slide to a position wherein said latchhook engages said keeper, and means carried by said cabinet for operating said release-lever and locking-slide to disengage said latch-hook and keeper when said cradle is in a selected position in said cabinet,

6. In combination a cabinet, a cradle pivotally mounted in said cabinet and arranged to assume a plurality of selected positions with respect to said cabinet, a sewing machine carried on said cradle, a keeper secured to said sewing machine, a locking-slide slidably carried on said cradle, a latch-hook formed release-lever carried by said cradle and operatively connected to said locking-slide, a spring biasing said releaselever and locking-slide to a position wherein said latchhook engages said keeper, a first camming-member carried by said release-lever, and a second camming-member carried by said cabinet and engaging said first cammingmember, when said cradle and the sewing machine are in a selected position in said cabinet.

7. In combination a cabinet, a two-armed L-shaped cradle pivotally mounted in said cabinet and arranged to assume a plurality of selected positions with respect to said cabinet, a sewing machine carried on said cradle, a keeper secured to said sewing machine, a locking-slide having a latch-hook slidably carried by one arm of said cradle, a release-lever carried by the other arm of said cradle and said release-lever being operatively connected to said locking-slide, a spring biasing said release lever and locking-slide to a position wherein said latch-hook engages said keeper, and means carried by said cabinet for operating said release-lever and locking-slide to disengage said latch-hook and keeper when'said cradle is in a selected position in said cabinet.

8. In combination a cabinet; a Z-shaped bracket having a horizontal web, an upstanding flange, and a depending flange; means for pivotally mounting said Z-shaped bracket to allow it to assume a plurality of selected positions with respect to said cabinet; a sewing machine; a keeper secured to said sewing machine; a locking-slide slidably carried on the rear face of said upstanding flange; a latch-hook carried by said locking-slide; a bracket-base extending forwardly from and secured to one end of said horizontal web; a release-lever pivotally carried by said bracket-base, and one end of said release-lever operatively engaging said locking-slide; a first camming-member formed on said release-lever; and a second cammingmember carried by said cabinet and engaging said first camming-member when said bracket and the sewing on said locking-slide, at

machine carried thereby are in a horizontal position in said cabinet.

9. Means for supporting a sewing machine in a plurality of selected positions, said means comprising a cabinet; a Z-shaped bracket having a horizontal web, an upstanding flange, and a depending apertured flange; means for pivotally mounting said Z-shaped bracket in said cabinet; at bracket-base extending forwardly from and secured to one end of the lower surface of said horizontal web, a rivet passing vertically through said bracket-base; a horizontally extending three-armed release-lever pivotally carried by said rivet; a downwardly open hook and a cam-surface on a first arm of said release-lever; a tension spring secured at one end to a second arm of said release-lever and having the other end secured to said depending apertured flange; a locking-slide slidably supported on the rear face of said upstanding flange, and said locking-slide having a pair of latch-hooks and an apertured depending lug; an end on a third arm of said releaselever, said end entering the aperture in said depending lug; a pair of U-shaped connectors secured to said sewing machine and straddling said upstanding flange, each U-shaped connector having a keeper adapted to be engaged by one of said latch-hooks; and a camming-edge carried by said cabinet and engaging said cam-surface when said sewing machine and cradle are pivotally moved to one selected position, said camming-edge and camsurface turning said release-lever against the bias of said spring to thereby disengage said latch-hooks from engagement with said keepers, said spring moving said release-lever and locking-slide to cause said latch-hooks to engage said keepers when said sewing machine and cradle are pivotally moved to a second selected position in which said cam-surface does not engage said cammingedge.

10. A cradle comprising a platform, means adapted movably to mount said platform in a cabinet, a lockingslide slidably carried by said platform, a latch-hook formed on said locking-slide and adapted to secure a sewing machine to said platform, a release-lever carried by said platform and operatively connected to said locking-slide, and automatic means including a stop means carried by said cabinet for automatically operating said release-lever, said locking-slide and said latch-hook to release the sewing machine when said platform is moved to a selected position.

11. A cradle comprising a platform, means adapted movably to mount said platform in a cabinet, a locking slide slidably carried by said platform, a latch-hook formed on said locking-slide and adapted to secure a sewing machine to said platform, a release-lever carried by said platform and operatively connected to said locking-slide, a first camming-member carried by said release lever, and a second camming-member carried by said cabinet for engaging said first camming member to cause said release-lever, said locking-slide and said latch-hook to release the sewing machine when said platform is moved to a selected position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 252,301 Thompson Jan. 10, 1882 2,247,380 Hohmann July 1, 1941 2,527,319 Marsac Oct. 24, 1950 2,802,710 Ayres Aug. 13, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 642,875 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1950 

